The Grenada gazette., 1887-09-17

lef 1aluer, Dut WOIth oNVt HAAhoh'
And Miss Doris chose to go out in II
sailing ship, as she afterward said, for
the sake of ''a new sensation" And |
guess, all things considered, she had it.
Whether she really wanted to ask
Jack, or whoever he was, to forgive
her, or whether, as is most likely, it
was the old tlirtatious mater asserting
itself, l don't know, but maybe Jack
did. Anyhow, on the sly, Miss Doris
tried in thousand little ways to get a
word or look from him. But, Lord.
she might as we'll have made eyes to n
stone statue. He'd never so much as
glance to'ards her nor Miss Grayson.
her aunt, when they was OH deck, and
l could see it was a fretting Miss Doris
tremendous. But he nor never men,
toned it to one another.
| We had a fine run round the cape,
through the Sunda straits, and to the
nor ward of the Phillipines-the old
man chuckling over his quick run from
New York. But it amt safe to laugh
till one is out of the woods, ashore or
to sea.
| On the evening of July 5, 1877, the
ship, going six knots an hour in a
heavy beam sea, struck reef they say
| wasn't laid down on the chart. The
| fore and main topmasts went by the
board. knocking the mate from the
t'gallant fo'csle and breaking the Sec
ond mates shoulder. But the worst
was, three planks was sprung off the
stern, below the water line, on one
side, and butt started to'ther. There
was just time to get the boats over,
huddle aboard and pull off. l never see
ship 90 down so sudden in all my
reelection!
I'd sailed bo's'n with the old man a
yi'ge before, so he gimme charge of
the smallest boat and it being the
staunchest of the two, by rea-
son Of water-tight compartments,
the wimmin was transferred to
it from the long boat, which leaked
bad. Lucky for Miss Doris and her
aunt it were so; for that night we
caught the butt end of q Chiny sea
typhoon and it was miracle the boat
lived through it. T'other one didn't
at least it was no where's to be seen in
the morning. But we see something
else--a big eight hundred ton Japanee
junk dismasted to loo'ard. And two
hours after sun up, the whole Of us
nine including the wimmin--was took
aboard safe and sound.
The pilot. who was funny little
Jap which talked with his hands bet
tern his tongue, explained the situa-
ton to Jack and me in tolerable good
pigeon English. The Mmshi. it seems,
was kind Of pleasure vessel belong
ing to some of the royalty to Yeddo.
She was blowed off'n the Kiusiu
islands, where they was cruising, and
besides being dismasted in the typhoon
her sailing master, three n four Off
GERS, dozen sailors and the pinnacle
was swep' away by big sea!
"Jack,' says, kind Of private, ''it's
an i'll wind that blows nobody good
if this here don't turn out a tidy bit of
salvage l lose my guess" l sent him
to the cabin aft for to see how the land
lay and took things in my own hans,
which nigh as could find out was just
what they wanted.
There was something like sixty
Japanee sailors aboard-smart and
willing, but they all wanted to boss,
SO of course couldn't do nothing. /
made the pilot interpreter, and what
with our chaps and the Japs them
selves, we rugged couple Of jurymas'
in no time and set some spare sails.
Then ! took the boat compass aft and
laid course about nor NOR west, ac-
cording to the pilots reckoning. After
which l had a wash, tidied up a bit
and went aft to hunt up master Jack.
s'pose there's no curiousser craft
floats than one of them flat-bottomed
junks. And this one was something q
little extry, as l see at glance. The
galleries either side the tiller on the
high poop was painted in bright green
and yeller, whilst the main saloon riz
above deck was carved all over with
curi's birds and monkeys till they'd
dazzle your eyes.
The saloon inside was finished in pol
ished camphorwood. with mirrors and
painted panels. Hanging all round
were lanterns and Towering vines and
bird cages. There was stationary ebony
tables, lounges inlaid with mother-of-
pearl and lacquer cabinets, and at the
further end a gilt shrine with lamp
burning before it.
But all this was nothing to the rest
Of it. There was q dozen or SO hand.
somely-dressed Japanese ladies' most
ly young-squatting in half circle
round sort Of divan. And IL you'll
believe me, sitting on the divan be-
twixt the prettiest little japanese won.